LOOP LAMP

Loop Lamps are a collection of lighting designs that merge craft with technology by combining hand-knit paper yarn with LEDs. The lamps are designed to be sculptural, functional and energy-efficient. Loop Lamps are an exploration of how tradition and craft (knitting) can merge with technology (LEDs) in the creation of functional artisan objects.

The soft lampshade forms were hand-knit and crocheted with Finnish paper yarn by local artisans. With the use of LED technology, Loop Lights are lightweight, emit less heat than conventional bulbs, and can be used in exploratory lighting design.

Form is a result of the knit pattern, the shape and weight of the LED case and gravity.

The lamp shade is knit into a form much like a bag with an open bottom.

Testing an early phase of paper yarn knitting.

When the light is turned on, the frosted LED case emits a soft glow.

Loop Lamps address the contemporary desire for authenticity and warmth by creating a product that sources local production (Finland) for both the interior plastic components and the hand-knit shades. The handwriting of each knitter-artisan is different, and no two lamps are exactly the same. Interior plastic components are produced by a local lighting manufacturer.

“We went through a lot of experimentation and prototyping with these lamps­­ – exploring different yarns, knitting patterns, needle sizes – and figuring out how to knit the yarn to give the aesthetic and elasticity we were looking for,” comments Elizabeth. ‘It was quite a process. Some of the prototypes had to be remade several times because the knitting was too tight or too loose and didn’t fit the manufactured components. There are a lot of things going on when you have an imperfect, handmade design that has to work with an industrial form such as the housing for LEDs – it’s this duality that makes it work.’

Loop Lamp project has been made possible by generous grant support from the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.